Chapter 310: The Noble Martial Arts Exchange Meeting!

FukinDeadBeat

Any rumors about the sword fairy at Qiwanghuasheng was buried by the arrival of the medium and small sects visiting Clear Wind City in search of new disciples. Of course, their true purpose was something else but it wouldn’t hurt to add more people to their sects while they had the chance. While the city was doing everything it could to satisfy, please, and accommodate the sects while also draining them of their precious resources, Ying was simply relaxing until the exchange meeting. Somehow, her grandfather found her in the most expensive inn inside the city. 

“Xiao Ying. Your father made a mistake but he is willing to concede.” Yue Gou stood at the doorway. 

“He’s cancelled the marriage?” Surprise couldn’t help but seep into her voice. That stubborn jerk? 

“Not exactly...” For a moment Yue Gou adverted his eyes. 

“Explain it clearly or I'll never go back.” Ying didn’t mince her words. 

“As long as you prove your capability at the Noble Martial Arts Exchange Meeting, he will fully support you and disregard the nonsense about marrying you off.”  

“That doesn’t sound like him...”  

Ying knew her father wasn’t the type to second guess himself. If he decided to do something he would force it or try to get it through other means. Ying’s eyes locked onto her grandfather’s to gleam any sort of information out of him. The giant one-armed hairy grandpa broke underneath his granddaughter’s fiery gaze. He smiled. 

“I may have said some words,” He coughed with a small blush. “But in the end, you still must prove yourself! If you don’t give a good enough showing even, I can’t save you.” 

Yue Gou was suddenly tackled by his granddaughter as she embraced him in a loving hug. It seemed as if words weren’t needed as she expressed just how much she loved him through body language. Gou patted her back with an embarrassed laugh. “Aren’t you too old to be hugging your grandpa like this?” Although Gou said this, the smile on his face was wide enough to destroy his reputation as the Swordsman of Steel. 

“Thanks, grandfather...” Heavens only knew what Ying would’ve done if her father was set on marrying her off without giving her a chance. 

“Are you ready to come back home, now?”  

“I guess, I can.” Ying only left because she was pissed off and against her father’s decision.  

Now the only thing she had to do was prove that the Yue Family was going to reclaim their lost strength and even go beyond it. Her father may intend to pass the family onto one of her brothers but Ying thought it would be better if she herself was the matriarch. After all, only with enough strength can one protect. And Ying didn’t see herself reaching the limits of her strength anytime soon. 

The day of the Noble Martial Arts Exchange Meeting has arrived! Anyone that is anyone has come to watch the good show that only happens every 10 years within Clear Wind City. The city lord put plenty of money and manpower into making this exchange meeting the best it has ever been in decades because of the sects visiting. In fact, he even went over budget and dipped into his personal savings! No one understood what possessed the city lord to go this far, not even his closest friends and colleagues but thanks to the city lord going all out like this, everyone could enjoy the exchange meeting regardless of their status. 

Even the low-born citizens that lived in the slums could watch from the streets thanks to the city lord buying the expensive support array, Viewing Formation! This support array is a recent invention of the quickly growing faction, The Heavenly Association! It could record in real-time anything inside the formation! It certainly made a sizeable dent in the city lord’s funds to purchase the materials and formula to perform the formation but by the end of the exchange meeting, he was certain that he would make it all back in no time. 

Along with the Viewing Formation, there also came the Viewing Spell. A spell that can connect to the Viewing Formation and be viewed at any time and at any location! Of course, there is more to it but the city lord wasn’t a spellmaster. He just knew that if he sold these Viewing Spells after the tournament, he would rake in the money he spent setting this thing up!  

“Those freaks at The Heavenly Association just had to set up in Cloud Dragon City instead of my Clear Wind City...” City Lord Tian Yang cursed.  

He was great friends with City Lord Kong. They grew up together since young and even now kept in touch. City Lord Kong was the current ruler of Cloud Dragon City and he took every opportunity to brag and gloat about how wonderful the Heavenly Association was. How much of a monetary windfall his city has gained since they set up shop over there. And if he wanted, he could ask them to do him a favor and set up a branch over in Clear Wind City as long as he promised to wed his daughter to his son. 

Tian Yang called Kong a shameless bastard. Didn’t he feel shame for trying to wed two juniors who are ten years apart? He obviously refused to give his daughter away to that porky little meatball of a son of Kong’s. Only if this event doesn’t go well, then Tian Yang will have to possibly consider giving up his precious daughter. 

“This year’s exchange meeting is a lot different from when I was a kid.” Ying muttered. 

The last time she saw the meeting was when she was seven years old. Back then, it wasn’t as popular as it is now. Only the noble families and merchants came to watch the noble children fight. But now, everything was different. 

“Don’t embarrass us.” Yue Sao narrowed his eyes at Ying. 

“Time to put your money where your mouth is.” Yue Heng smirked. 

“I hope your time in the Golden Serpent Sect wasn’t wasted.” Yue Tian didn’t even look at her. 

Ying flicked off her three older brothers as the exchange meeting began. They didn’t get a chance to retort or react as everyone was startled as a loud voice suddenly appeared. “Welcome everyone to the Noble Martial Arts Exchange Meeting! I am proud to announce that this is the start of the 55th exchange meeting since the creation of our Clear Wind City! I hope all the young nobles do their best to show a great showing worthy of their noble families! Now, lets begin!” 

The way the Noble Martial Arts Exchange Meeting worked was that one noble youth took the stage. That noble youth would then choose someone at their stage or higher to face off against. Choosing someone with a lower cultivation was actively frowned upon and usually not done unless the relationship between the two youths were that of an older sibling and younger sibling. In that case, people saw that it was merely a learning experience or a show between the two to show off their family’s martial arts. However, choosing someone with a lower cultivation and no positive relationship with only made them seem cowardly. They could only bully the weak. 

Ying leaped to the stage faster than anyone else. Most of the noble youths mocked and laughed at her. Didn’t she know that being the first up was also the quickest way to get exhausted and humiliated? They say save the best for last for a reason. Apparently, someone didn’t send this big-chested beauty the lesson. 

“Isn’t that the Yue Family’s Demonic Princess?” 

“Who?” 

“The fallen Yue Family! Their daughter somehow got accepted in the Golden Serpent Sect and has finally returned after years of being in the sect.” 

“Oh, she’s going to give us a good showing then. A disciple from one of the Three Great Sects has to be strong.” 

“...” Multiple elders had uneasy looks on their faces when information of Ying’s background flowed into their ears. 

Was it possible the Three Great Sects were aware of their destination? It couldn’t be, right? It must be a coincidence that one of their disciples is here. It has to be. 

Just as a precaution, many of the elders were on guard against Ying. If there was any sign of danger, they’d deal with it together. In their eyes, she wasn’t simply a young girl but the embodiment of the Three Great Sects! Someone that has always suppressed and taken advantage of them just because they were bigger! 

“Nichang Han.” Ying called up the man her father thought was suitable to be her husband. 

Gasps spread throughout the crowd after realizing who she called up. Nichang Han was a rising prodigy within Clear Wind City! There was no one that didn’t know of his genius. Was it possible that the Yue Family’s girl simply didn’t know because she’s been gone for so long? She was simply courting death, wasn’t she? 

“...” A quivering smile soldering with rage underneath it appeared on Nichang’s face as he slowly headed up to the ring.